Change rendering mode, lighting,
projection, and background

The model rendering mode determines
the surface appearance of the 3D model. The default rendering mode
is solid, but you can also choose another rendering mode. You can
also change the lighting of the 3D model as well as the background.

To change the rendering mode, choose an option from the Model Render Mode pop-up menu .

To view an orthographic projection, click the Use Orthographic Projection button . An orthographic projection effectively removes a dimension, preserving the size ratio between objects but giving the 3D model a less realistic appearance. Click the button again to use perspective projection.

To turn lighting on or off or to change lighting, choose an option from the Enable Extra Lighting pop-up menu .

To change the background color, click the arrow next to the Background color swatch and choose a color.

Note:

Model rendering modes, lighting schemes, and background
color options are also available by right-clicking the 3D model, and
then clicking Viewing Options. Model rendering modes also appear under
the Options menu on the Model Tree.

Examples of model rendering modes

The
model rendering modes include combinations of factors that affect
the appearance of the 3D object. The illustration below shows a
simple object rendered in each of the available modes.

Hide, isolate, and change the appearance
of parts

Some 3D models
are composed of individual parts. You can use the Model
Tree to hide or isolate parts, zoom in to parts, or
make parts transparent. Parts that show in the 3D model appear in
the tree with a check mark next to them.

Manipulating parts

A. Selected part B. Hidden
part C. Isolated part D. Transparent
part

In the 3D model, use the Hand tool to click the
part you want to manipulate. If a preference setting prevents you
from using the Hand tool, select the part in the Model
Tree list.

From the Options menu in the top pane of the Model
Tree, choose any of the following:

Note:

The items that appear on the Options menu depend on
whether the 3D model is composed of just one part or multiple parts.
Many of these options are also available by right-clicking a part
in the 3D model.

Model Render
Mode

Changes the surface appearance of the entire 3D model according
to the item you choose from the submenu: Transparent Bounding
Box, Solid, Transparent, Solid Wireframe,
and so on.

Show All Parts

Displays the entire 3D model.

Fit Visible

Displays all visible parts and centers them in the view.

Show Physical Properties

Displays the surface area and volume (if available) in the Object
Data pane of the Model Tree.

Display Bounding Box

Displays the box that encloses the 3D object or selected parts
of the model.

Set Bounding Box Color

Changes the color of the bounding box. Choose this option,
select a color, and then click OK.

Hide

Displays the model without showing the selected parts.
You can also select and deselect check boxes in the top pane of
the Model Tree to hide and show different
parts.

Isolate

Displays only the selected part, hiding all others.

Isolate Part

Displays the geometry, the Product Manufacturing
Information (PMI), and all views (including PMI views)
for the isolated part only. Views and information for all other
parts are hidden or deselected. Changes occur in the Model
Tree as well. In the Structure pane (top), only the
isolated part is selected. The structure of the other parts is available
but deselected. The View pane (middle) lists only the views that
have been defined for the isolated part, including PMI views. If
you click a view, you see only the PMI for that view in the document
pane. (To view the PMI for the isolated part, make sure 3D
PMI is selected in the Structure pane.) The View pane
hides views related to the assembly or other parts, including custom
views created in Acrobat. You can add parts to the view by selecting
them in the Model Tree. You can also use
the Hide/Show commands in the options menu of the Model
Tree. To cancel the isolated part, do any of the following:

Select another part with the Isolate Part command.

Select the top assembly in the Model Tree.

Select the Home View button.

Zoom To Part

Changes the center focus from the entire 3D model to
the selected parts. This setting is especially useful for rotating
a part, allowing the rotation to occur around the center focus of
the part rather than around the entire model.

Part Render Mode

Displays all of the rendering modes that are available
for the part. The rendering mode changes the appearance of the 3D
model according to the rendering mode you choose.

Transparent

Displays a see-through version of the selected part.

Export As XML

Creates a separate XML file of either Whole
Tree or Current Node of the 3D model.

Export As CSV

Creates a separate file in CSV format that contains all
of the model data. You can export the data from the whole Model
Tree or a selected node. The file can be opened in any program that
supports CSV formatting, such as Microsoft Excel.

Note:

If the 3D model includes Product Manufacturing
Information (PMI), options for showing and hiding the
PMI are available on this menu.

Model Tree overview

The Model Tree appears in the navigation pane on the left side of the work area. You can also open the Model Tree by clicking the Toggle Model Tree button on the 3D toolbar. Or, right-click the 3D model and choose Show Model Tree.

Note:

Using the Model Tree requires version 7.0.7 or later of either Acrobat or Adobe Reader. Users with earlier versions can interact with 3D models but not with the Model Tree.

The Model Tree has three panes, each of which displays a specific type of information or controls.

Structure
pane

The topmost pane shows the tree structure of the 3D object.
For example, a 3D object depicting a car has separate groups of
objects (called nodes) for the chassis, engine, and
wheels. In this pane, you can move through the hierarchy and select,
isolate, or hide various parts.

Product Manufacturing
Information (PMI) appears as a group of items on the same
hierarchical level as its related object or assembly.

View pane

The middle pane lists the views that have been defined for
the 3D object. When you change a view, click one of the listed views
to return the 3D model to a saved state. See Setting
3D views in PDFs.

You can also add to and edit views
in the View pane. For example, after you isolate and rotate a part,
you can save that particular view, including the camera angle, background,
lighting, and other attributes. This feature is not available for Adobe
Reader.

Object Data pane

The lower pane displays other information, including properties
and metadata, if any, about the object or part. You cannot edit
this information for 3D objects in Acrobat.

<span class="uicontrol">Model Tree</span>

A. 3D object hierarchy B. Saved
views C. Part or object information

Note:

To
change the default behavior for the Model Tree,
open the Preferences dialog box and under Categories, select 3D
and Multimedia. Then choose an option from the Open Model
Tree On 3D Activation menu.

The author
of the PDF can set up a 3D model in the conversion settings so that clicking
it automatically displays the Model Tree.

Create cross sections

Displaying a cross section
of a 3D model is like cutting it in half and looking inside. Use
the Cross Section Controls dialog box to
adjust the alignment, offset, and tilt of the cutting plane.

Before and after cross section

Click the Toggle Cross Section icon on
the 3D toolbar to turn on or off the cross section.

(Optional) Click the arrow next to the Toggle Cross Section
icon, and choose Cross Section Properties,
which opens the Cross Section Properties dialog box. Then do any
of the following:

Change settings under Alignment, Display
Settings, and Position And Orientation.

Click the Save Section View button
to save the current cross-sectional view. (The saved view will appear
on the Views menu in the 3D toolbar and in the View pane of the Model
Tree with a default name, SectionView[n].)

Cross-section properties

Changes you make here are applied immediately.
To see these changes, make sure that the Cross Section
Properties dialog box does not block your view of the active
3D model. The Cross Section Properties dialog
box remains on top if you focus or interact with the underlying
PDF. To close it, click the Close button in the upper-right corner.

Enable Cross Section

When selected, makes the other options available.

Alignment

Determines the axis (x, y, or z) to
which the cross-section aligns.

Align To Face

Cuts the cross-section on a plane defined by the surface
of any face that you then click in the 3D model. (The dialog box
is dimmed until you click the face of a model part.)

Align To 3 Points

Cuts the cross-section on a plane defined by any three points that
you click the 3D model. (The dialog box is dimmed until you click
three points of a model.)

Show Intersections

Indicates where the cutting plane slices the 3D model by adding
a colored outline. Click the color swatch if you want to select
a different color.

Show Cutting Plane

Displays the two-dimensional field that cuts the 3D model. Click
the color swatch to select a different color, and enter a different
percentage to change the opacity of the plane.

Ignore Selected Parts

Removes the selected parts from the cross-section view.

Show Transparent

Displays parts that are not part of the cross-section.

Cutting Plane Opacity

Defines the transparency level of the cutting plane.

Align Camera With Cutting Plane

Rotates the 3D model so that it is level with the cutting
plane.

Offset

Determines how much of the 3D model is sliced. Drag the slider left or right, or change the percentage.

Note:

To understand how each axis divides the 3D model,
select an axis and then drag the Offset slider back and forth. Observe
the changes in the embedded 3D model.

Flip

Reverses the cross-section. For example, if the top half
of the model is cut off, click Flip to display the top half and
cut off the bottom half.

Tilt sliders

Determine the angles between the cutting plane and the axes.
Drag the sliders left or right, or change the percentages.

Save Section View

Opens the View Properties dialog box
in which you can select the display properties to save with the
view. After you select the properties to save, the cross-sectional
view is added to the list of views in the 3D toolbar and the Model
Tree. The saved view is given a default name, SectionView[n].

Display
properties that you choose not to save revert to the setting of
the previous view. For example, if you do not save the background
color, the cross-section view retains the background color of the
previously displayed view.

Change camera properties

Camera properties define the precise angle
and positioning for a view of an object. Camera properties make
up a camera view, which can be used both between views and between
files.

On the 3D toolbar, click the Camera
Properties icon .

If you don’t see the icon, click the arrow next to the
navigation tool on the left side of the 3D toolbar.

In the Camera Properties dialog
box, click Save As to name a new camera view, or
select an existing view from the menu.

Move the Camera Properties dialog
box so that you can see the 3D model. Select a camera alignment:

Select Target to align the camera properties
only to the target position.

Select Camera And Target to
align the camera properties to both the camera direction and the
target position.

Select the type of alignment:

Select Model

After you select this option, click a 3D model in the
document. The Camera Properties dialog box
shows the current camera position.

If Target is selected,
the new position of the camera target is the center of the selected
model.

If Camera And Target is selected,
the position of the camera target is the center of the selected
model. The camera is aligned to the selected model.

Select Face

After you select this option, click a face of the 3D
model in the document. The Camera Properties dialog
box shows the current camera position.

If Target is
selected, the new position of the camera target is the center of
the selected face.

If Camera And Target is selected,
the position of the camera target is the center of the selected
face. The camera is aligned to this face.

Select 3 Points

After you select this option, select three points on
the same or different models in the document. The Camera
Properties dialog box shows the current camera position.

If Target is selected, the new position of the camera target
is the center of the three selected points.

If Camera and Target are selected, the camera target is the
center of the three selected points. The camera position is aligned
to the plan composed by the three selected points.

In the Position section, select Angle Units to change
the X, Y, and Z values to Azimuth, Altitude, and Distance. These
values enable you to manipulate the camera by azimuth (distance)
and altitude (X axis), and to zoom using the distance value.

Move the sliders in the Camera and Target positions to
the desired location.

To change the focal angle of the camera, drag the Field
Of View slider to the desired degree.

To change the roll angle of the camera, drag the Roll
slider to the desired degree.

Click Save Camera View to save the settings and add the
view to the Model Tree.

The view is added to the Model Tree with
the default name of CameraView[n], with [n] being an incremental
number. You can rename the camera view in the Views list.